2025 Transfer Portal News/Recruiting

[BoilerPride08]

Really like the pickup of both Smiths. Kiki seems to be a pure scorer and a real threat from the perimeter. She has one year of SEC experience under her belt where she proved that she can produce. I predict she'll be our leading scorer next year along with Layden-Zay.

Nya is a good depth piece at guard. She was overlooked out of high school but that was probably for the best as that landed her at a level good for her to get the chance and minutes to show that she can produce, and she did, earning SoCon's Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year.

What I like most about this pickup is that, as a true freshman, she produced against P4 competition. UNCG played 4 P4 teams this past season and Nya produced - averaging 11.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg. At just 5'9 her rebounding numbers are impressive as she seems to be super athletic giving us a rebounding guard we haven't had in a while. She is a great developmental piece - lets hope she makes a sophomore JUMP and not a sophomore SLUMP.

If we add Porter to help Feldman at the Point and then a depth big - I think this team will be easily better and deeper than last years - how much so - still unknown.

 

[MichaelRR]

Really like the pickup of both Smiths. Kiki seems to be a pure scorer and a real threat from the perimeter. She has one year of SEC experience under her belt where she proved that she can produce. I predict she'll be our leading scorer next year along with Layden-Zay.

Nya is a good depth piece at guard. She was overlooked out of high school but that was probably for the best as that landed her at a level good for her to get the chance and minutes to show that she can produce, and she did, earning SoCon's Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year.

What I like most about this pickup is that, as a true freshman, she produced against P4 competition. UNCG played 4 P4 teams this past season and Nya produced - averaging 11.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg. At just 5'9 her rebounding numbers are impressive as she seems to be super athletic giving us a rebounding guard we haven't had in a while. She is a great developmental piece - lets hope she makes a sophomore JUMP and not a sophomore SLUMP.

If we add Porter to help Feldman at the Point and then a depth big - I think this team will be easily better and deeper than last years - how much so - still unknown.

If we get Porter, she is the day 1 starter, hands down. I'd say we need two power forwards and a true point guard still and I VERY much doubt this team is any better than last years team, because on paper it looks a lot less talented.

 

[BoilerPride08]

If we get Porter, she is the day 1 starter, hands down. I'd say we need two power forwards and a true point guard still and I VERY much doubt this team is any better than last years team, because on paper it looks a lot less talented.

Spider Jones vs. Kiki Smith (Advantage slightly to Smith. Spider is talented but Smith is the shooter/scorer at the off guard spot we desperately need - Spider needs to develop a 3 pt shot to fulfil her potential, Smith already has a proven one)

Amiyah Reynolds vs. Taylor Feldman (Advantage Feldman – obvious based on actual production - not close)

Sophie Swanson vs. Madison Layden-Zay (If we get the motivated Zay – advantage Zay – much more proficient shooter (39% from the 3 vs Sophie's 30% last year) and experienced - She also can rebound much better at the wing spot- something we need)

Jayla Smith vs. Nya Smith – HUGE advantage to Nya - for obvious reasons

Mila Reynolds – WASH – shown next to nothing at the collegiate level, whatever big we can get *hopefully a versatile forward* - will be equal or better than we what we got from her.

Poole vs. *Possibly* Porter (if we get Porter HUGE upgrade) - but Poole was all potential - no production - so any addition will be equal/better to what we got from her this past year.

Then add in the 2 incoming freshmen and an improved Puryear, McCarthy and Layden.

So yes - the staff has used the portal to make this team better than it previously was. The additions have actually been better than the subtractions across the board.

 

[MichaelRR]

Spider Jones vs. Kiki Smith (Advantage slightly to Smith. Spider is talented but Smith is the shooter/scorer at the off guard spot we desperately need - Spider needs to develop a 3 pt shot to fulfil her potential, Smith already has a proven one)

Amiyah Reynolds vs. Taylor Feldman (Advantage Feldman – obvious based on actual production - not close)

Sophie Swanson vs. Madison Layden-Zay (If we get the motivated Zay – advantage Zay – much more proficient shooter (39% from the 3 vs Sophie's 30% last year) and experienced - She also can rebound much better at the wing spot- something we need)

Jayla Smith vs. Nya Smith – HUGE advantage to Nya - for obvious reasons

Mila Reynolds – WASH – shown next to nothing at the collegiate level, whatever big we can get *hopefully a versatile forward* - will be equal or better than we what we got from her.

Poole vs. *Possibly* Porter (if we get Porter HUGE upgrade) - but Poole was all potential - no production - so any addition will be equal/better to what we got from her this past year.

Then add in the 2 incoming freshmen.

So yes - the staff has used the portal to make this team better than it previously was. The additions have actually been better than the subtractions across the board.

You are making the wildly huge and unsupported assumption that the incoming players will be as good or better in our crap system then they were at their previous spot. That clearly has not been the case with most portal players here the last few years. Some have, Ellis and Terry, others had major flaws to their games that previous coaches had the skills to mask but our coaches do not.

 

[BoilerPride08]

You are making the wildly huge and unsupported assumption that the incoming players will be as good or better in our crap system then they were at their previous spot. That clearly has not been the case with most portal players her the last few years. Some have, Ellis and Terry, others had major flaws to their games that previous coaches had the skills to mask but our coaches do not.

The portal is not perfect and like recruiting there will be hits and misses, especially when you have kids transferring up a level, but lets look at the portal additions under KG - shall we?

HARD HITS

Harper Sr - Transferred up a level - Flourished in the system

Terry - Kept as same P4 level - Flourished in the system

Ellis - Transferred up a level - Flourished in the system

Petree Sr. - Transferred up a level - Flourished in the system

Lombard - Transferred up a level - Led the team in scoring this past year - so I would call that flourishing

Ella Collier - Transferred WAY up several levels - surpassed many expectations of a NAIA player being elevated to B10 basketball.

SOFT/NUETRAL HITS

Bass - Transferred up a level - Was decent - Averaged 8/5 this year - didn't match her previous numbers from her lower level school - but playing in the post in the Big 10 and the post in the MAC are two completely different beasts. I was not expecting her to match her 16/9 production from junior year - but we didn't really need her to due to Puryear and McCarthy's production as a true freshmen. She averaged 35 minutes per game at Akron because she WAS their post game. Those decreased to 23 mpg with us because we had 2 others that were able to help her - obviously stats will decrease.

HARD MISSES

Petree Jr. - Transferred up a level - severely struggled - didn't have super high expectations coming in nor she had very good production at her previous spot to warrant any expectation she would produce for us - so I was confused why we were adding her but for potential depth if we had a bunch of injuries - we did - just not at the wing spot we overloaded at - so def a miss but not at all a surprising one.

Mila Reynolds - Transferred same level - This is probably the hardest miss for KG in the portal just because she was super highly regarded as a high school prospect and we really needed production out of her - right away. Obviously she barely played at Maryland - but Maryland was stacked at her position per usual and incoming freshmen rarely play right away for Frese - unless they are All Americans so I was hoping that given the PT opportunity with us she could flourish - but she never did.

Mide Oiyomi - Tranferred up a level - She was one of KG's first adds from the portal - not sure why we needed her but I think it was just a grab at anyone that is somewhat athletic to come help us. She went from averaging 31 minutes per game at Northeastern 11/7 to 9 minutes with us. Clear, obvious miss - was it super unexpected? No. She transferred back to lower level and had a nice season with FAMU. That is level she should've stayed at.

Rokia Doumbia - Transferred at same level - I'll add her here because I think she came through the portal from Arkansas. Didn't produce much at Arkansas - didn't produce with us - transferred to USC - didn't produce there. So yes a miss - but she's been a miss everywhere she has been - not sure why we felt the need to add her other than to have a roster of players in KG's first year.

SOFT MISSES

Harper Jr. - Transferred up a level - struggled - but I think a lot of that was her mental issues she was having and what ultimately ended her career - didn't have high expectations coming in so not surprising, she was never meant to carry a team - always a depth piece. I would say she lived up to her potential the games she played - but she wasn't the diamond in the rough her sister was, obviously.

So of the 12 transfer portal players that have been added by KG - 7 are what I consider Hits (Hard/soft) and 5 have been misses (hard/soft).

Of the 7 'hits' - a whopping 5 of them transferred up a level with 2 staying same level. That's pretty darn good considering it's easy having a HIT with P4 transfer. Not so much with a mid major one.

Of the 5 misses - 3 transferred up a level - with neither of them producing a ton at their smaller schools - and 2 stayed the same level - one a complete unknown (MILA) the other (ROKIA) not really producing much at her previous school. So am I surprised that all of these 5 were misses - NOPE.


The major difference between these 5 misses and the 3 kids we currently have in the portal? All the 2025 portal additions have shown to be able to produce against P4 level competition at their previous schools. That's a major indicator that they will produce with us.

 

[MichaelRR]

That you consider Collier and Petree Sr hard hits to the good tells me all I need to know about your objectivity.

 

[BoilerPride08]

That you consider Collier and Petree Sr hard hits to the good tells me all I need to know about your objectivity.

Collier is only a hard hit and not a soft one because she transferred up several levels and the probability of a NAIA player going all the way to major P4 Big Ten basketball and producing like she did is extremely small.

Are you completely forgetting about Petree Sr's production?!? She averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg shooting 42.7% from the field and 37% from 3 in just 23 minutes for us in 2022. She is a MAJOR reason why we went 19-11 that year.

 

[MichaelRR]

Collier is only a hard hit and not a soft one because she transferred up several levels and the probability of a NAIA player going all the way to major P4 Big Ten basketball and producing like she did is extremely small.

Are you completely forgetting about Petree Sr's production?!? She averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg shooting 42.7% from the field and 37% from 3 in just 23 minutes for us in 2022. She is a MAJOR reason why we went 19-11 that year. AND she transferred up a level to do it! She is the poster child of a 'hard' hit.

The team with Petree sr on it regressed and looked like it had terrible chemistry by the end of the season. Collier was a terrible recruiting decision that did all she could but was in WAY above her skill level and provided virtually nothing towards competing against quality opponents. Content to stand around watching on the court as a spectator as her team-mates took a beating.

 

[BoilerPride08]

Collier is only a hard hit and not a soft one because she transferred up several levels and the probability of a NAIA player going all the way to major P4 Big Ten basketball and producing like she did is extremely small.

Are you completely forgetting about Petree Sr's production?!? She averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg shooting 42.7% from the field and 37% from 3 in just 23 minutes for us in 2022. She is a MAJOR reason why we went 19-11 that year.

After further thought about Petree SR - I forgot that she was first at Bradley - then made a stop at Rutgers - and then came to Purdue. But looking at her stats/production at Rutgers compared to here - she is still clearly a hard hit for KG.

She averaged 24 mpg at Rutgers - averaging 8.3 ppg and 3.2 RPG. She came to Purdue and flourished offensively - Increasing her PPG by 6 with a bit less playing time.

So when you talk about kids transferring in and "flourishing" in a system - she is actually THE poster child for that under KG.

 

[BoilerPride08]

The team with Petree sr on it regressed and looked like it had terrible chemistry by the end of the season. Collier was a terrible recruiting decision that did all she could but was in WAY above her skill level and provided virtually nothing towards competing against quality opponents. Content to stand around watching on the court as a spectator as her team-mates took a beating.

Collier is the reason why they won 2 of their 3 B10 conference games.

Produced 13/5/2 on 45% shooting against Northwestern and 15/4/3 on 83% shooting against Wisconsin.

You must really hate when actual statistical evidence negates all of your ignorant opinions.


If you would've told me prior to the season that Collier would be THE reason we beat 2 B10 teams - I would've said you were insane. She exceeded expectations - making her a hard hit.

 

[MichaelRR]

Collier is the reason why they won 2 of their 3 B10 conference games.

Produced 13/5/2 on 45% shooting against Northwestern and 15/4/3 on 83% shooting against Wisconsin.

You must really hate when actual statistical evidence negates all of your ignorant opinions.


If you would've told me prior to the season that Collier would be THE reason we beat 2 B10 teams - I would've said you were insane. She exceeded expectations - making her a hard hit.

I said quality opponents. Not scrubs that were at our level. Statistics can be warped to mean anything, which you are very good at, omitting facts that are inconvenient for you.

 

[BoilerPride08]

I said quality opponents. Not scrubs that were at our level. Statistics can be warped to mean anything, which you are very good at, omitting facts that are inconvenient for you.

15 pts 6/9 shooting @Washington
11 pts 4 reb, 4/6 shooting @ Notre Dame
8/5/2 vs. Maryland


Pretty good for a NAIA kid.

 

[MichaelRR]

15 pts 6/9 shooting @Washington
11 pts 4 reb, 4/6 shooting @ Notre Dame
8/5/2 vs. Maryland


Pretty good for a NAIA kid.

Pretty lousy for a starter getting about 30 minutes a game and those are her highlights against teams with a pulse.

 

[BoilerPride08]

Allie Kubek, 6'2 F from Maryland has entered the portal. She would be the ideal pickup for us - exactly what we need. A forward who can shoot it.

 

[DubJellison]

Just an FYI: Purdue should be getting some more good news on the portal front soon. Announcement expected anytime now.

 

[BoilerPride08]

It's being reported by Talia Goodman that we are a finalist for 5'8 guard Hila Karsh from Isreal along with Duke and UCLA. 20 year old with 4 years of eligibility- She averaged 11.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG & 1.7 SPG last year in the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket.

Would be a good addition but have very little confidence we could beat out those two schools - especially UCLA who needs bodies.

 

[MichaelRR]

It's being reported by Talia Goodman that we are a finalist for 5'8 guard Hila Karsh from Isreal along with Duke and UCLA. 20 year old with 4 years of eligibility- She averaged 11.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG & 1.7 SPG last year in the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket.

Would be a good addition but have very little confidence we could beat out those two schools - especially UCLA who needs bodies.

Wonder how a team with 6 shooting guards and no point guard functions.

 

[rgarlitz]

It's being reported by Talia Goodman that we are a finalist for 5'8 guard Hila Karsh from Isreal along with Duke and UCLA. 20 year old with 4 years of eligibility- She averaged 11.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG & 1.7 SPG last year in the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket.

Would be a good addition but have very little confidence we could beat out those two schools - especially UCLA who needs bodies.

Maybe KG could play up a more manageable path to playing time at Purdue?

 

[MichaelRR]

Maybe KG could play up a more manageable path to playing time at Purdue?

At shooting guard with 5 other players coming in at that position?

 

[BoilerPride08]

At shooting guard with 5 other players coming in at that position?

We do not have 5 players that can only play shooting guard.

Feldman is a PG. She will definitely get the majority of her time at the 1. The coach who recruited her out of high school to college has always considered her to be a true PG.

Kiki Smith/Douwstra are at the 2. Smith as a pure shooter/scorer - Douwstra has been lauded for her defensive skills - likened to a Chris Kramer type. Douwstra averaged 3.3 assists per game at the U18 European Championship in 2023 - so she could - if we don't get anymore help - slide over to the point position behind Feldman - if we don't get another PG.

Zay/Layden/Henderson/Smith is at the Wing/F.

 

[rgarlitz]

At shooting guard with 5 other players coming in at that position?

Every team has multiple players at each position, and in today's game there's not always a big distinction between 2 and 3. All I'm saying is a really good player might look at Purdue's roster and see more playing time.

 

[BoilerPride08]

Every team has multiple players at each position, and in today's game there's not always a big distinction between 2 and 3. All I'm saying is a really good player might look at Purdue's roster and see more playing time.

One of the biggest attributes coaches look for is versatility and players that can play multiple positions. Hila seems very much like a lead guard - is she a big time passer? No - but she can create offense from the lead guard position. We need shooters/scorers. That was sorely lacking the past couple years. Hila's highlights are below.

 

[BoilerPride08]

Porter apparently withdrew her name out of the portal and will stay at Wisconsin.

 

[MichaelRR]

Every team has multiple players at each position, and in today's game there's not always a big distinction between 2 and 3. All I'm saying is a really good player might look at Purdue's roster and see more playing time.

Our only good players are wings or centers, we have no competent point guard or power forward, and only a couple players that can cover those spots at all. Feldman running as our primary point to me looks awful. Her assist to turnover ratio was bad before you plug her into our shit offensive scheme.